Cup victory against human trafficking

Despite large fears to the contrary before the World Cup the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Swedish development agency Sida has released a report stating that there has been no marked increase in human trafficking related to the sex trade during the World Cup.

04 Jul 2006 20:04 GMT

"We have so far not seen any marked increase in human trafficking from eastern European countries to Germany during the World Cup," Swedish IOM spokesman Fredric Larsson told AFP.

In June the two organisations had launched a special campaign which aimed to raise awareness about the problem of human trafficking.

Larsson put the success of the campaign down to the strong coalition which included German police, over 20 European governments, non-governmental organisations, international agencies and Music Television (MTV).

"The campaign has had a positive effect. It shows we do not need to accept trafficking," added Larsson.

Swedish Justice Minister Thomas Bodstroem criticised German police in June for not treating the problem with the appropriate level of seriousness.

The IOM estimates that some 200,000 people are trafficked into and within Europe every year, the majority of them women and girls for sexual exploitation.